Jasper Board Tries to Make Finances Work

The Jasper school district is trying to deal with financial shortfalls. 

The Board Monday voted to seek voter approval in the April election to issue funding bonds. Revenue from sale of the bonds would allow the District to pay back Ameren as part of a settlement with the District. Currrently, the District pays $303,000 per year to Ameren from operating funds. Jasper Superintendent Dan Cox said that payment significantly impacts the ability to offer educational programming and services to students and is a large contributor to the District's growing deficit and diminishing fund balances.

Cox also reported on budget projections. He said that due to the loss of revenue, the District faces a $1.2 million deficit. He is anticipating filing a deficit reduction plan with the State Board of Education. The Jasper Board discussed the need to reduce expenditures and/or raise revenue by $1 million by the end of 2016. It was also agreed to conduct enrollment projections.

Also Monday, the Jasper board temporarily designated Cox hiring authority from now through January 14, recognized the retirement of Deania Trimble as of December 31 as a bus driver, approved Darla Mahaffey as high school special needs paraprofessional and Kimberlin Wallace as Newton Elementary paraprofessional, and approved Alex Frohning as junior high boys track coach.

The Jasper board also set 2015 Newton High School graduation for Saturday, May 16 and Jasper County Junior High graduation for Tuesday, May 19, both at 7pm, and also approved a guaranteed energy savings contract with GRP Mechanical. The work will involve health life safety improvements at the high school in Newton with health life safety funds paying for all work except on a secure entrance for the building and science lab to come from operations and maintenance funds.

The Board passed a fiscal year tax levy calling for a 4.95% increase over what was extended for taxes last year. Board members also discussed the impact of operating Early Childhood Education as a district program, rather than through South Eastern Special Education Co-operative, and expelled a student through school year's end with the student finishing the year in alternative education and expelled from riding a school bus for the balance of the school year.